#but my way only requires three things: paper a pen (preferably a brush-tipped marker) and something to measure 1/4 inch with

[tj-crochets]

Hey y’all! I got some comments on my “what to make next” post, and it got me thinking. Do you want me to make a post explaining some of how I do pattern designing for sewing?  And if so, do you want me to use the round elephant pattern as the example, or should I make a new pattern so I can show you from start to finish how it goes?

[cptsdstudyblr]

I was bored and wanted to distract myself from life so I swatched every pen I own :)

My pen reviews:

PaperMate FLAIR - These are my favorite thin markers of all time! I got them when I was super young (which is why that light pink one is very out of ink) and they’ve lasted extremely well. They don’t really bleed through paper, and all the colors except for yellow are very vibrant and pretty.

Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust - I got these very recently, and I have mixed reviews. The light-colored ones are quite hard to see, but the dark-colored ones are very pretty. Some of the pens seem like they are almost duds (they aren’t very inky and are kind of hard to write with), but the pens that work well look very nice. However, they are very, very slow to dry, so they don’t work well for things that have to be done quickly.

Clear Point Elite 0.7 mm - These are just pretty run of the mill mechanical pencils (they’re made by PaperMate), but they get the job done. I have three gray pencils and one purple (which came in a pack with the grey ones for some reason). They’re very pleasant to write with and I’ve never had a significant issue. One note, however, is that the eraser size is kind of finicky so it’s important to get the correct eraser refills.

BIC BriteLiner - This is my go-to highlighter. It has a brush tip, which I prefer, and it’s a nice pastel color. I keep this on my desk and use it just about every time I take notes.

Sharpie Accent - This is just your average highlighter. It works, but it’s pretty far at the bottom of my list because it isn’t in any way exceptional. Mine is pretty old, so the tip is a bit run down, but it still works.

Sharpie Smear Guard - Please ignore the green one - its cap got left off on accident and it dried out. These are the highlighters that have a clear tip so you can see through them, which I really appreciate. They are a bit lighter of a highlight than I typically prefer, but they work pretty well and they seem to smear less easily than my BIC BriteLiner. 

Stædtler Triplus Fineliner - This is the only nicer pen that I own - I believe it cost about USD $6.00. It works very well for the price, doesn’t bleed through noticeably, and gets the job done. I tend to like thicker writing utensils, and this one is a little too fine of a fineliner for my taste, but I could imagine it working very well for someone who prefers finer tips. The tip seems to be square, which does sometimes require reangling your pen, but that’s the only major issue I have with this pen.

Sharpie Fine Point - This is the marker that everyone thinks of when they think “Sharpie.” I don’t have strong feelings about this marker. It’s a permanent marker, and I use it as such. It gets the job done. I wouldn’t recommend using this on paper, however, because it bleeds a lot. I use this primarily for labeling things.

Sharpie Ultra Fine Point - This is a thinner version of the typical “Sharpie” marker. On paper, it looks similar to the PaperMate FLAIR, but it bleeds through quite a lot more than that. I primarily use this for labeling things or writing on thicker paper such as cardstock.

PaperMate InkJoy - This is just an average ballpoint pen. These pens do not smudge basically at all, which is nice when you want to use a highlighter. I tend to prefer more inky pens, and these aren’t very inky. However, I do like them for times when inky, smudgeable pens just don’t cut it. These are pretty solid pens, I would say.

Pilot G-2 07 - This is my second favorite pen. It’s a thin, but still inky pen and it writes quite nicely. Since it is thinner, it’s less smudgeable, but it does still tend to smudge. I find that this pen requires a little bit of effort to write with since it is quite thin, but I’ve never had any significant issues.

Pilot G-2 10 - This is my all-time favorite pen. It’s a thicker version of the pen immediately above, and I love how it writes. It’s very inky, smooth, and pretty. However, it has some significant drawbacks. First of all, it is very inky, so it smudges quite easily. I don’t find this to be a huge issue as long as I wait a little while to highlight over it, but if you’re left-handed or have a hard time with smudgy pens it might be quite problematic. These pens also run out of ink incredibly quickly for some reason. This doesn’t bother me too much as they’re quite cheap (only about USD $3.00 for a pack of 8) and I can buy them at my local grocery store, but it can be a little bit annoying. Overall though, I love these pens so much!

[theartistsinsider-blog]

Christmas Gift Guide for Artists

Accessories/Utensils:

Table Top Easel: This is probably one of the first objects you should buy when beginning art. It helps to support and display your canvas or paper at an approximate 20 degree angle. Traditionally, they have been used to support an artwork while the artist is painting, but they can also be used to display finished artworks. Currently, I don’t usually use an easel, I don’t necessarily like the way I have to vertically paint when using it, and also how I cannot randomly twist and turn my artwork. However, that is something I had to learn on my own, and I definitely suggest at least trying out an easel.

Paint Palette: Now, realistically, this could be any flat surface you come across, many people who use oil paints, for example, use a piece of glass they took out of a large photo frame. However you are able to buy these at an art store that have individual places to put different colours of paint, and then areas where you can mix your paint. This is really helpful if you’re painting at an easel as you are able to be holding every colour you require in your hand, as well as a place to mix those colours when necessary.

Wooden Manikin: This is only really necessary if you’re wanting to draw figures proportionately. This manikin resembles the human form, and gives you various shapes to help you flesh out the proportions and placements of every body part. You can get both male and female manikins, depending on your needs.

Folio/Student Folder: I only say this as I believe you always need somewhere to store your artworks when they’re finished. I typically use watercolour paints, and therefore use flat paper rather than canvases, so I like to store my finished artworks in a folder so I do not lose or harm them.

Palette Knife: A palette knife is primarily used in art in order to mix or apply paint to a canvas. It typically is either metal or plastic, and is a blunt, flexible tool that is very useful for artists. I only recently begun using palette knives, and it honestly makes all the difference when mixing paints as they’re easy to clean rather than using a brush. Note that although these tools have been manufactured without sharpened edges, prolonged use may cause edges to sharpen.

Studio Stand Organiser: having an organiser for you pencils, pens, markers, palette knifes and paint brushes is a fantastic idea, especially if you don’t like using a pencil case (I do not). You could also replace this with a set of draws, and use this tray to dry wet paint brushes after you have cleaned them. I highly recommend purchasing a quality plastic one, as this will be easy to clean under soapy water without damaging the accessory.

Pencil Case Fillers:

Aluminium Double Pencil Sharpener: These sharpeners are honestly the best sharpener. I know what you’re thinking, how can there be a “best” sharpener, they’re all the same? Well, because this sharpener is made out of aluminium, it last a LONG time, and I mean a long time. You don’t have to repurchase a sharpener for quite a while, which is preferable. Plastic ones break easily, while these are sturdy. Also, I suggest getting the double sharpener if you plan to use charcoal, this way you can use one hole for pencils, and one hole for your charcoal so that neither get messy.

Tortillion and Paper Stump/s: If you’re doing grey lead pencil drawings, charcoal, or even coloured pencil drawings, these things are a must. I honestly never liked the look of smudging out lines with my finger or a tissue to create shading in my drawings – I just didn’t think it looked right. So, when my teach showed me these around 2 years ago, I was hooked. I always have like five of these in my pencil case at once. It truly is a necessity in your pencil case.

Steel Ruler: This is similar to the sharpener. Having a steel ruler in your collection with save you money in the long run, because it does not break easily, and is extremely sturdy.

Pencils:

Prismacolour Coloured Pencils: These are my absolute favourite brand of coloured pencils. They are extremely expensive, but completely worth the price. About two years ago, I used a few of my friends, and almost instantly went out and use all of my $300 savings and bought the biggest pack. Because they have been created using such high grade pigments, these pencils are fantastic for blending, shading and rich colour payoff. They helped me really increase my abilities because they made things easier for me because they were so creamy and easy to use. I highly suggest these, because no matter your level of expertise, these will work terrifically, and are well worth the price you pay.

Faber Castell Classic Pencils: I used these pencils for most of my childhood, and for my high school years before buying Prismacolour. Though these art not my favourite, they are very high quality, and perform brilliantly; they have to or else they wouldn’t be so famous. The quality I do dislike about these pencils is that for me, personally, they are very hard and therefore are more difficult to blend together. However, the colour payoff you receive is amazing,

Faber Castell S9000 Lead Pencil: If I’m being honest, these are the only grey lead pencils I use, unless they are not with me, or I am out. I know you may think all grey leads would have to be the same, but I honestly think these are superior to others I have tried.

Canvas/Drawing Pads:

AFC Canvas Panels: These are great for those who just want a small canvas, rather then the bulky, traditional ones. These perform exactly the same as a regular stretched canvas, but they do not provide the 2-3 cm edge, making not only painting, but displaying easier.

Art Culture Stretched Canvas’: Any stretched canvas, really. I recently bought a few canvas’ from the dollar store, and although they were not made to the usual standard of an art store, they perform the same, and the lack-of quality could only be really noticed it the back, where the stapling was badly done, if you have the budget to spend more money, then a high-quality canvas is a must.

Canson Montual Watercolour Traditional Surface Paper: I have been using this brand of watercolour paper pads for around three or four years now. My school used this exact brand, and although since finishing school, I have experimented with different brands, I have recently repurchased these, and believe I will be sticking with them. For their price (A3 for approximately $15 AUD), the quality of the paper is fantastic, and it is the perfect thickness.

Paint Brushes:

Holcroft Brushes: Out of any art product, brushes are the one thing I highly, highly suggest you spend money on; while paints and tools can be of similar quality at varying prices, brushes tend to usually only be really good quality in the medium-high price range. There is not any art product I dislike more than those brushes that feel as if their bristles are made from straw. Not only do the just feel cheap and bad, but they don’t perform well, and they shed, which is not what you want in a paint brush. My boyfriend bought me some Holcroft brushes for my birthday earlier this year, and I was honestly amazed by the quality;though they can be expensive, they are worth it.

Jasart Studio Brush Sets: These brushes are suitable for watercolour, acrylic, gouache and mixed media. I recommend these brushes because I find they are soft, and have good quality synthetic bristles that hold paint well, and clean easily.

Jasart Aqua Brush Pens: According to eckersleys.com.au, these brush pens are a “refillable multipurpose brush that can be filled with water to blend water colours or fill with coloured inks and water soluble paints to create water colour effects.” I only recently purchased one of these, after months of longing, and I honestly am highly impressed. These brushes have flexible nylon brush tips rather than the typical hair brushes, which prevents fraying. This tip was also designed to actually absorb the paint and hold it in so that you can use it for longer. I cannot recommend these brushes enough. - they are a definite must-have.

Paint:

Kaiser craft Kaisercolour Acrylic Paint: Kaiser craft's acrylic paint is actually my current favourite. I have others that are quite think and (for lack of better words) chunky, while I find these are looser and very smooth. I like to use these in more fluid artworks, so it’s watery consistency works perfectly for me, however it can still be used effectively with a paint brush to create other types of artworks.

Reeves Watercolour Pan Sets: According to Eckersleys.com.au, ­Reeves Watercolours are “made with pure finely ground pigments in a gum solution, which are then formed into convenient tablets.” I particularly like this type of watercolour paints because they’re compact, travel friendly and convenient. The paint provides the same effect and texture as tubed watercolour paint, yet is just formed for convenience and usage.